When a company like Niterider throws out the "brightest light ever" label, you'd better believe it—the new TriNewt is bright. Stupid bright.

Put this torch on your handlebar and toggle between its two settings – bright and brighter – and you get a wash of white light to blow through even the darkest of tunnels. The TriNewt puts out 486 lumens at high and will run for 3.5 and 7 hours at its respective light settings.

The tools-free handlebar mount uses a combination of a replaceable rubber strap and a hinged metal clamp to afix to any size handlebar. An orbital gimbal lets you fine-tune in exactly where you want to cast the beam.

The light comes with a helmet mount too, which clips on easily enough but does require use of an included 4-millimeter Allen bolt to disengage the handlebar mount. Once on the helmet mount a knurled plastic knob takes the place of the metric bolt, and reaching up to loosen the fixing bolt and adjust the light was easy enough to do. Compared to lights like the Niterider MiNwet, the Princeton Tec Switchback 1 and the Light & Motion Stella 180, the TriNewt was noticeably heavier, however no more so than older NiteRider HID heads. (System weight is 519 grams, or about 1.15 pounds, most of which is the Li-Ion battery.)

One nice thing about using this light on the helmet is its mid-cable connector, letting you dial in your mount and then take your bag off easy without hanging yourself. The Princeton Tec and Light & Motion connect only at the battery, which can be more of a pain if you're taking your bag on and off.

When you do run this light on the helmet you can make use of its wireless remote, which is a simple one-button widget that can be mounted either to the handlebars or kept in your pocket and activated through the fabric of your shorts.

I preferred to run this light on the handlebars, where my only qualm is that on some real grunter climbs this thing is so bright that the ambient beam at the lens is enough to scald your retinas and distract you as you lunge over the bars to get traction. But then you can just channel that confusion into anger. Urgh. Bad climb, must kill.

Like Niterider's other lights this one gets points for simplicity. Sure you need a tool to change between mounts, but how often do you do that, anyway? And when you do it comes with the wrench and a handy carrying case to keep it all together.

Either with the remote control or via the on/off button on the battery pack, simply press once to toggle between high and low and hold the button down to toggle between on and off. The on/off switch on the battery doubles as an indicator light, telling you when you're on the last of your juice.

The best part of the remote revealed itself when a friend's only light died on a ride. Because I was running two lights I nobly lent him the TriNewt. Not so nobly, I kept the remote on my handlebars and used it to screw with him over the course of the next two pitch-black hours.

Let someone who had been used to a clapped out old halogen bulb or even an HID light use the TriNewt and the difference and clarity of the light becomes immediately apparent. Sure it's a bit pricey, but it's one of the best handlebar mounts available at any price.

For an on-trail comparison between this light and seven other LED models click HERE.